gingerjane

I am so excited! I made my appointment for my initial consult with the doc, psych, nutritionist, etc. Of course, they are completely booked, so I have to wait until January 20th. I'm sure it will get here sooner than expected but still... (sigh) I've been getting my ducks in a row, so to speak. I switched insurance carriers during our open enrollment because my company covers WLS. My boss is supportive of my surgery decision and told me that he'll work with me for the time off. Now - it's getting in there, getting approved, etc. They told me that there is a 376 question psyche eval. What is that about? Anyone know? Oh - and I'm going with Dr. Trace Curry in Cincinnati. My PCP also recommended him. Looking forward to being a 2010 bandster!

Same here - my insurance is supposed to cover the surgery. I hope they don't make me wait too long. I am SO ready for this. I've been studying it for a while, reading this board (which is AMAZING) and just want to get to the next step. Here is to hoping we get banded, soon!

I haven't used them but I did see the skit where Ellen was giving them to her studio audience. Of course, the "shaking" motion was quite hilarious and reminiscent of something *ahem* else. (That was her whole premise for the skit) You can find it on YouTube and it's hilarious. In terms of usage - I have no idea. But, I would say that anything that keeps you active is good.

Ok - I have not had the band, yet, but I thought I would ask this of people who have. I'm in the process of my consultation, etc. (Even switched insurances since one covers and the other didn't) I was wondering how bad the nausea/vomitting is? I hate to vomit. I will fight it with everything I have. I used to be a bulemic in high school and now 15+ years later, I hate it so bad. It just takes everything out of me. How bad is the nausea and vomitting? Does it just become a way of life? Or, as long as you follow your diet, etc., does it not happen? That is my biggest concern out of everything with this surgery. It's not the pre-op diet, it's not the surgery itself. It's the vomitting. I know - I'm pathetic worrying about that, but I'm curious. I have tried to search threads to see how people cope and I just bought a book but haven't got to that chapter, yet. So, please - tell me. How is it? Ginger

Congratulations! :tongue: You'll have to let us know how you're doing! Good, I hope!!!

Thank you everyone for your support! I hate that so many of us have had this type of reaction from a friend or loved one. The best thing I have heard over this ordeal so far is that a mutual friend of ours asked me if she would be this upset if I said I was having a boob job. The answer was no. It's amazing how things are looked at so differently.

So, I'm exploring the Lap Band surgery and by exploring I'm taking it pretty seriously. I've gone to a seminar by Dr. Trace Curry (Cincinnati) and have been reading a lot about the surgery online, etc. This past weekend, I was out of town with some friends of mine and I mentioned that I was seriously considering the surgery. Last night I get an e-mail from her basically telling me that she thinks I need to reconsider and see a therapist first for my "issues" as to why I like to eat, etc. She keeps telling me that she believes the only thing I should do is see a therapist and get some "pscyhological" help. :scared2: She does not think that the "support groups" will help. Here's the deal. I'm hungry ALL the time. I've been successful in the past with Weight Watchers but I'm hungry constantly even on the diet. And then - I end up gaining my weight back. So, I am exploring the lap band to help curb some of that hunger. I know it won't take it all away but I figure the curbing is better than nothing and I also feel like with the band, I won't be so apt to completely go off track. Any thoughts? I've gently told her that I'm not one for individual therapy and that I prefer the group setting. I like bonding with others. But, it's like she's making me out to sound like a raving lunatic that goes around eating everything I can get my hands on. :thumbup: Have you encountered anyone in your life like this? My husband hasn't been that vocal about anything. Yet, I have this friend insinuating that I'm not taking it seriously. Help!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to jump in here and show my support. I do not have a surgical date, yet. Still waiting on that one, but one of the things that I KNOW will be a big hurdle is the liquid diet. Of course, after reading this, I'm also worried because I HATE eggs. Now I keep thinking "What on earth will I eat?" There is no trying to eat the eggs. I literally gag on them. I gag when I see people fry them. LOL! I also have to say that your weight losses are amazing! It's inspiring! I can't wait to see how everything works out for all of you. I'm hoping to be able to say I'm a February bandster, but we'll see. I'm still early in the process. Wishing you much success - mushies and all!

The thing is - she's overweight, too. She's recently lost 50 lbs with Weight Watchers, but she's still overweight. I don't understand why she wouldn't be supportive? I've heard others say it's "cheating" but truthfully - how many people gain the weight back on diet programs? Almost 95% of people do. So, to me - that's not a great success rate. Heck - look at The Biggest Loser. One of their winners has gained his weight back. Lapband isn't cheating. It's a way of life. It's a tool to help someone succeed. It's just frustrating to be accused of not having the "psyche" to do this.

I think for me it's simply because I love food. My mom was from the south and her family fed everyone to show love. That was all I knew. Even to this day (I'm pre-surgery) she will say "I baked you some brownies", etc. We ate things that were fried, covered in gravy or butter. Delicious food. Food that reminded me of my family and our times together. That is one of the reasons why I think I'm fat. I love to eat. It's a security blanket for me. But, I realize that I'm passing these "traits" on to my daughters and it has to stop. I have to show them love through a different route or they're going to be like me. They're going to be 33, 280+ lbs and miserable. I don't want that for them. I still want us to enjoy our time together, but I'm going to try to make that something different. I think because of all the food I've eaten my whole life, I've stretched my stomach. I'm hungry CONSTANTLY. I have PCOS, so I get hormonal which makes me crave things and there goes the cycle. I hope to break that cycle as well. :scared2:

So, I've decided that I need to make a change in my life. I'm going to a free seminar on Wednesday (Dr. Trace Curry in Cincinnati) and truthfully - I've already made up my mind that this is something that I need to have. Pretty much all of my life I've been overweight. I was teased as a child, was a bulemic as a teen (the only time I was ever of normal weight) and as an adult with two children, I've gained a lot of weight since getting married. I truthfully get disgusted just thinking about myself at this point. Being big runs in my family but now I'm the biggest and am not happy with me. The thing is - I'm always hungry. I could eat Breakfast and be hungry afterward and hungry mid-morning. Same with lunch- by 3:00, I'm looking for a snack. My stomach constantly growls. I know I don't make the best choices (I'm not a salad eater) but at the same time, in order for me to lose weight on a diet I have to consume under 1100 calories per day and that leaves me starving and irritable. I called my insurance this morning and was devastated to find out that any weight loss surgery is excluded. Now I'm trying to figure out how I can cover this. My husband and I don't make a ton of money and our credit isn't perfect. Does anyone have any ideas for how they covered their fees? I can just see this being something where I'm denied all the way around. :confused: I want to hear good stories - ones where you felt like there were no options but in the end you were able to do it. I'm just sort of distraught right now.

Hi Barb! I'm new here, too. I'm just in the consulting stages but have made the decision. I'm so worried about a number of things including how I'm going to pay for the surgery. Congratulations on having a date! Just think - this time next year, you could be living a new life and it be amazing!

Wow! What an inspiration! I'm still pre-op, and am so amazed by your success! AWESOME!:confused: